Former Walker aide reaches plea deal

A third former aide to Governor Scott Walker when he was Milwaukee County executive has avoided a trial by reaching a plea deal. Tim Russell is scheduled to enter an amended plea on Thursday.

Prosecutors would not give details of the deal and Russell’s lawyer has not commented, either.

The 49 year old Russell was the charged in January in an ongoing John Doe probe into Governor Scott Walker’s former aides when he was the Milwaukee County executive. Prosecutors said Russell was a deputy chief of staff when he embezzled more than $20,000 from a program to help veterans and took campaign money from two candidates for the Milwaukee County Board. Authorities said he used the money for vacations in Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Earlier this month, ex-Walker aide Kelly Rindfleisch was given six months in jail and three years’ probation for raising campaign money on county time for Republican lieutenant governor candidate Brett Davis. Former county aide Darlene Wink still awaits sentencing on two charges of doing campaign work on county time.